References to culture
MÄR contains various references to culture in it, including the following: Ancient myths *Alibaba is a reference to Aladdin, an Islamic story about a man named Aladdin who rubs his magical lamp to summon a genie who grants him three wishes. *Alviss's name is derived from Alvíss, a dwarf in Norse mythology who was tricked by Thor into petrifying himself. *Caldia's Orb is probably a reference to Pandora's Box which contained all the evils in the world until someone foolishly opened it. *Chimera's name comes from a monster in Ancient Greek mythology created from merging different creatures. *Girom's Guardian ÄRM Egola could be a reference to the Jotun race, a tribe of ice giants in Norse mythology. Fairy tales *Aqua could be a reference to the Little Mermaid. *Belle's name comes from the name of the fairy "Tinker Bell" in the fairy tale Peter Pan. *Candy House (an ÄRM owned by Emokis) is based on the house owned by a witch in Hansel and Gretel. *Dandarshia (the Guardian ÄRM Emokis owns) is a reference to the Magic Mirror from the story, which constantly tells the evil queen that she is the most beautiful of them all. *Hamelin is a reference to The Pied Piper of Hamelin, a German fairy tale about a piper who uses his magical pipe to lead rats out of the town Hamelin, but when he doesn't get paid he leads the town's children into either a river or a cave, depending on different versions of the story. *Jack's name is derived from the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk, in which a young farmer named Jack grows and climbs a large beanstalk that reaches the clouds. *Snow's name is derived from the fairy tale 'Snow White, where a princess named Snow White and her seven dwarf friends escape from and evil queen, Snow's stepmother. Diana is an obvious adaption of the evil queen, and Team MÄR is a possible reference to the seven dwarfs, having been called the by Snow's oracle. *Pinocchion is a reference to Pinocchio, a fiary tale about a puppet named Pinocchio who wishes to be a real boy. Pinocchion's goal in the series is also to become a real boy. Pinocchion's Weapon ÄRM Saw Blade is a reference to the saw used to cut Pinocchio *Poco who lives inside the whale Guardian ÄRM Fastitocalon (wielded by Pinocchion) is a reference to the whale which ate Pinocchio. *Rapunzel is an obvious, yet twisted, reference to the fairy tale Rapunzel, about a beautiful girl named Rapunzel, who is trapped in a tower by a cruel witch, and grows her hair to reach the bottom of the tower to create a rope for the witch to climb. Geography *Caldia, also translatable as Caldea, is a reference to Chaldea, a region in the ancient Bablyon kingdom. Chaldea was well known for being versed in several forms of sorcery. Holidays *Halloween's name is derived from the popular western holiday Halloween. Halloween's mask is based off the Jack-o-Lantern, a pumpkin hollowed out and carved to make a face, which is often associated with the holiday. One of Halloween's ÄRM, Trick-or-Treat, is a reference to trick-or-treating, where children dress up in costumes and go from house to house to get candy during Halloween. Language *Alma's name comes from the Spanish word for ghost. *Chaton's name comes from the French word for kitten. Literature *Dorothy is a clear reference to The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy's name comes from the tale's protagonist, Dorothy Gale. Being a witch herself, there may be some overlap between her and the six Oz witches. **Her Guardian ÄRM Toto is a reference to Dorothy's dog, Toto. **Flying Leo is a reference to the Cowardly Lion and possibly the flying monkeys. **Ring Armor and Rock Giant Golem are analagous to the Tinman **Crucified Scarecrow to the Scarecrow **Crazy Quilt to The Patchwork Girl of Oz. **Her sister Diana may be based off of the four various Wicked Witches in Oz **The Grand Elder of Caldia is possibly a reference to The Wizard from the story. Religion *Loco's name comes from the patron of healers in Voodoo. Category:Content